--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't worry about telling your actor what…" description: "\"Don't worry about telling your actor what to do.\" — Ewan McGregor" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/ewan-mcgregor-2364_actor_don-t-worry-about-telling-your-actor-wha_2987636.jpg" --- # Don't worry about telling your actor what to do. ![“Don't worry about telling your actor what to do.” quote by Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/ewan-mcgregor-2364_actor_don-t-worry-about-telling-your-actor-wha_2987636.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/ewan-mcgregor-2364_actor_don-t-worry-about-telling-your-actor-wha_2987636.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/ewan-mcgregor-2364_actor_don-t-worry-about-telling-your-actor-wha_2987636.jpg) > “Don't worry about telling your actor what to do.” [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Directing actors should focus on collaboration, not micromanagement. **In simple terms:** Give actors space, not commands. Key Takeaway Trust the actor’s instincts. Themes leadership creativity collaboration Mood supportive reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - film set - theatre rehearsal - workshop - team meeting Key Concepts director‑actor dynamics creative autonomy Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance guidance with freedom? - What signals show an actor needs direction? A Different Perspective Over‑guidance can stifle performance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Don Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-worry/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling/) [Telling Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-actor-4678671/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) [Worry Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry-telling-2007575/) ## Related quotes > [“Oh, I needn’t worry about you telling anyone. Neither of you are going anywhere for a long time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/oh-i-needn-t-worry-about-you-telling-anyone-neither-of-you-are-going/) [Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/) > [I remember my first agent telling me - because they found me as an actor, but I was probably more interested in writing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chadwick-boseman/i-remember-my-first-agent-telling-me-because-they-found-me-as-an/) [Chadwick Boseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chadwick-boseman/) > [I used to worry about money and career and what was going to happen. How was I gonna succeed or fail in the world?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/i-used-to-worry-about-money-and-career-and-what-was-going-to-happen/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [Happiness, character, & confidence have nothing to prove. They're too busy showing to worry about telling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-character-confidence-have-nothing-to-prove-they-re-too-busy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't worry about the things I can't change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/i-don-t-worry-about-the-things-i-can-t-change/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [Sleep well in your room all three together... don't worry about me being alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/sleep-well-in-your-room-all-three-together-don-t-worry-about-me-being/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) > [Don't worry about your individual numbers. Worry about the team. If the team is successful, each of you will be successful, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-rickey/don-t-worry-about-your-individual-numbers-worry-about-the-team-if-the/) [Branch Rickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-rickey/) > [Don't worry when I argue with you. Worry when I stop because it means there's nothing left to fight for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-worry-when-i-argue-with-you-worry-when-i-stop-because-it-means/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Don’t worry about me handling the pain," I say. "I’ve had a lot of practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/don-t-worry-about-me-handling-the-pain-i-say-i-ve-had-a-lot-of/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Already we'll all float on. Now don't you worry, we'll all float on. Alright, don't worry even if things end up a bit too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/modest-mouse/already-we-ll-all-float-on-now-don-t-you-worry-we-ll-all-float-on/) [Modest Mouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/modest-mouse/) > [Oh, don't worry! I'm always okay!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/onew/oh-don-t-worry-i-m-always-okay/) [Onew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/onew/) > [Don't worry about the war. It's all over but the shooting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/don-t-worry-about-the-war-it-s-all-over-but-the-shooting/) [Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/) > [Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/pray-hope-and-don-t-worry/) [Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Pray, hope, don't worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/pray-hope-don-t-worry/) [Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/) ## More by Ewan McGregor > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I don't want to make decisions about what I'm going to do before I'm doing it because I base my acting off my partner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-don-t-want-to-make-decisions-about-what-i-m-going-to-do-before-i-m/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I wanted to be an actor since I was nine years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-since-i-was-nine-years-old/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I've got a black woolen hat and it's got Pervert written across the front of it. It's the name of the clothing label. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-ve-got-a-black-woolen-hat-and-it-s-got-pervert-written-across-the/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [There is some really good crack when I come back here. This is where I learned to swear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/there-is-some-really-good-crack-when-i-come-back-here-this-is-where-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I think if you're going on thinking oh, I can do this with my eyes shut, then it's probably not the right thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-think-if-you-re-going-on-thinking-oh-i-can-do-this-with-my-eyes/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I was nine years old when I made up my mind that that was what I definitely wanted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-was-nine-years-old-when-i-made-up-my-mind-that-that-was-what-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I was born in '71, so I remember bits of glam rock on 'Top of the Pops' toward the late '70s, but I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-was-born-in-71-so-i-remember-bits-of-glam-rock-on-top-of-the-pops/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I'm sometimes asked 'Can you lose the accent?'and I say 'No, but I can put on another one'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-m-sometimes-asked-can-you-lose-the-accent-and-i-say-no-but-i-can/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I've never worked with an acting coach, no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-ve-never-worked-with-an-acting-coach-no/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I especially love my Moto Guzzi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-especially-love-my-moto-guzzi/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I've never found acting that difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-ve-never-found-acting-that-difficult/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I love skiing, scuba diving and hang-gliding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-skiing-scuba-diving-and-hang-gliding/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [There's something that happens where you go, if you're lucky, goodness me, from film to another film to another film. And you can sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/there-s-something-that-happens-where-you-go-if-you-re-lucky-goodness/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I don't care about Oscars. It's such self-aggrandizing nonsense. It's a way to manipulate people into believing that their choices are what's good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-don-t-care-about-oscars-it-s-such-self-aggrandizing-nonsense-it-s-a/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) [Explore all 170 Ewan McGregor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don't worry about telling your actor what to do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ewan McGregor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/don-t-worry-about-telling-your-actor-what-to-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/don-t-worry-about-telling-your-actor-what-to-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/ewan-mcgregor-2364_actor_don-t-worry-about-telling-your-actor-wha_2987636.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/ewan-mcgregor-2364_actor_don-t-worry-about-telling-your-actor-wha_2987636.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/ewan-mcgregor-2364_actor_don-t-worry-about-telling-your-actor-wha_2987636.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Don't worry about telling your actor what to do.” — Ewan McGregor", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ewan McGregor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Don't worry about telling your actor...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/don-t-worry-about-telling-your-actor-what-to-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/don-t-worry-about-telling-your-actor-what-to-do/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```